The Power of Pure Art

There are days (and nights) that I sometimes wonder, not why I got into the creative arena, but why I want to remain within it. As exhilarating as it can be at times, it can just as easily be exasperating.

But then I see or read something that tells a story so well, it simply moves me emotionally. It makes me laugh. It makes me cry. Sometimes, as in this case, it does both. And I'm reminded of my love and respect for the power of pure art.

Click here or on the photo above to share in one man's story.

Notes from 11/20 OCA Meeting

No new members to report, but... we did get together and talked about resumes, social media, and the Taproot Foundation.

Resumes
Paul Verner recently attended ProLango's resume writing 2.0 workshop, and he shared some his newly learned insights with the group:
- Write your resume for the recruiter, not the hiring manager. The purpose of the resume is to get you the interview.
- Contrary to popular belief (and all of us in the room last week), ProLango suggests 3 pages if you have more than 5 years of experience, 2 pages if you have 3-5 years of experience.
- Focus on keywords that tie to the job description. Repeat them within the resume, as current automated readers pick up on these (and the number of times they occur) and will flag your resume as one that is a good match.
- Not rocket science, but identify "tasks and results." Use percentages and dollar figures to highlight sales, cost savings, etc. - what you contributed.

Social Media
Gayle Rose asked if any of us had examples of Social Media case studies. We were able to quickly pull up several examples online (and sites with lists of hundreds of examples).
My favorite of the past year: Crispin Porter's "Whopper Sacrifice," which won a 2009 Cannes Titanium Lion, and asked, "What do you love more, your Facebook friends or the Whopper?"
233,000 friends were dumped in just over a week. I wish I'd known when this launched... I could have cleaned up my Facebook account and gotten a burger (or 3).

Taproot Foundation
Duane Hobbs recently started working on a project for the Seattle chapter of Lighthouse for the Blind. It's always nice to hear how some of us are putting our skills to good use.

Reminder... No meeting this week, 11/27, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We'll reconvene next Friday, 12/4.
Have a safe and fun Turkey Day!

Moving Image Print Media

What would it look like if print production and video broadcast production got together and made a baby? Looks like we're not far off from seeing the results.

Notes from 11/13 OCA Meeting

While Kelly was in Maryland visiting with family and friends and enjoying a little Northeast rain, four of us gathered at SVC this last Friday for the weekly OCA meeting. But being few in number didn't keep the discussion from being lively.

Welcome to one new OCA Member
It was a first visit for Terry Doyle, a writer and ACD from the east coast. Terry's background (if I remember right) is Grey in Atlanta; plus FCB, DraftFCB, and Publicis elsewhere.
It was the second visit for Jim Zimmerman (Business Development and Marketing Management), and the 3rd for Wes Youngquist (AD, CD).

We talked about the "Seattle Premium" – that portion of compensation that seems to come in the form of the opportunity to live here – yes it's real. We talked about contract work as a means of surviving the recession. We talked about start ups, forming your own Co., and venture capital. Most important, we just talked.

Job News!
Kelly reported to me that there's some good news for one of our members: Vanessa Gallant will be starting at T-Mobile on Nov 30th as a Sr. Communications Manager.

WordPress WorkShop
There's plans for another edition of the very popular WordPress WorkShop. (We're waiting to hear back from Richard Geasey on dates. Shooting for early next week, if Thanksgiving plans don't interfere too much.)

See everyone next week,
Duane

Free Webcast - Branding Yourself, This Thursday!

As if you didn't have enough events to choose from on Thursday, here's another.  However, this one is at 4PM PST and is only an hour long, so you might be able to squeeze in both if you can manage it.  I actually took the class last Friday at the REI Flagship Store.  It was 5 hours long and quite informative.  We got to meet with coaches and do mock interviews.  I'm sure this one is a more condensed version, but probably well worth it.  And, best of all, it's free!

Here's the link for more info:

http://now.eloqua.com/es.asp?s=997&e=353692&elq=855f8d00536b494699e425aa56ffa504

Another Networking Event Opportunity This Week!

If you don't want to go to the AMA event this Thursday, here's another exciting opportunity for you to keep in  mind:

Seattle Job Social

Thursday, November 19th

6:00 P.M. at Twist in Belltown

They have confirmed over 20 companies will be attending this event such as Amazon, Starbucks, Northwestern Mutual, Vertafore, Cardiac Science Corporation, BlueNile, Allen Partners, Recruiting By Design, Rylem, Parker Technical and many more...

Please RSVP to this event:  invite@SeattleJobSocial.com

For more info:  http://seattlejobsocial.com/

Thankful For Your Network - PSAMA PIF Social  Thursday, November 19th - 6pm The Local Vine, Seattle Networking  *  Special Guest Sandy Jones-Kaminski  *  Book Signing Ready to experience a better way to make and cultivate quality connections? Come join us for the PSAMA's first Pay It Forward (PIF) networking social! At this fun and enriching event, each guest comes to the PIF social with the intention of helping others first. The help could be personal (need a tip on where to find good Thai food in Issaquah, looking for a yoga studio in Belltown) or professional (want to find a mentor outside of your company, need new employees, looking for a new position). At this thankful time of year, you'll leave this event feeling good about having helped others as well as about the help you have received!  Join us at The Local Vine (Seattle), Thursday, November 19th at 6pm to pay it forward! Register Today! Email networking@psama.org (subject line: PIF Social)  PSAMA Members: Free  Non-Members: $10 (you can pay at event)

Special Guest: Sandy Jones-Kaminski Sandy Jones-Kaminski is a self-described networking enthusiast and accomplished business development professional. In 2002, Sandy launched her own partnership marketing and business development strategy consultingpractice called Bella Domain, LLC. She is also a past VP of Networking for our very own PSAMA and author of the soon-to-be-published, I'm at a Networking Event - Now What??? Read her book and you'll learn why you might want to consider becoming a "pay it forward" focused person, as well as how to be more memorable while you're out there working hard to maintain good standing within your social networks (on-line or otherwise).

Notes from 11/6 OCA Meeting

Welcome to two new OCA members:
- Gayle Rose, most recently an Account Supervisor with McCann, has a wealth of agency experience and has worked with some top brands.
- Jim Zimmerman comes to OCA with experience on both sides of the table, having owned his own agency and having also worked on the client-side in the banking business.

Microsoft strategies
As with several previous meetings, the discussion turned to Microsoft and how to get in on a contract basis. We talked A- and V- and the differences between the two, as well as how staffing agencies can get you in the door.
My homework: put together a list of the agencies and headhunters working with Microsoft and other big companies in the area.

WordPress WorkShop - 2nd Session
With the success of our 1st session, we're looking to run another. Rich Geasey has kindly volunteered to teach again. I'll send out a note to the group to see who's in.

A Simple, But Very Effective, Idea

Volkswagen has launched a web site called TheFunTheory.com - with the notion that, "Fun is the easiest way to change people's behaviour for the better."
As simple as the theory is, it's spot on, as evidenced by the viral nature of the site's current videos.
Apply the concept to today's burgeoning issues, and who knows what we can accomplish.
Enjoy...

Upcoming Seattle Marketing/Career Building Events Week of 11/9 - 13

Here's a list of some marketing events coming up next week:

Puget Sound American Marketing Association (PSAMA)

PSAMA Executive Luncheon
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 
Pre-lunch networking 11:30-12:00 
Lunch and Presentation 12:00-1:30
Washington Athletic Club, Seattle
PSAMA Members and Students: $38 
Non-Members: $50 

Online registration closes at 11am the day prior to the event. An additional $5.00 will be charged after that time for online registrations or registrations at the door. Register online or call 206-623-8632.

PSAMA Career Transition Workshop
Build Your Brand, Land the Job
Friday, November 13, 2009, 12:30 - 5:30pm
REI Flagship Store, Seattle

Students and Members $25;  Non-members $40
Register now!

http://www.psama.org/events/event_detail.aspx?id=90

or call 206-623-8632

Thinkspace

What: Psychology of Interviewing - How to STAND OUT in Today’s Crowded Market

When: 11/05/2009 or 11/10/2009, 10:00am - 11:30am

Where: Thinkspace | 8201 164th Ave NE, Suite 200 | Redmond WA 98052

Cost: FREE (limited time only)

Event Sponsor: Thinkspace

What: Career Search Seminar 2.0 - How to STAND OUT in Today’s Crowded Market

When: 11/09/2009, 10:00am - 11:30am

Where: Thinkspace |  8201 164th Ave NE, Suite 200 | Redmond WA 98052

Cost: FREE (limited time only)

Event Sponsor: Thinkspace

To see more seminars visit the Prolango website:

http://www.prolango.com/

Notes from 10/30 OCA Meeting, Social Media

At last week's meeting...
Among many a topic, we talked about Taproot, and a project Duane Hobbs has just been selected to work on as Brand Strategist. He'll be helping with a rebranding and messaging project for Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind

The Taproot Foundation has come up at several OCA meetings. For more info, click here for 2 older posts with notes/links about the good work they do.

Social Media Update
We have 3 volunteers who have stepped forward to help keep our social media outlets up to date with information about events, articles, and the latest news.
- Daniel Holland / linkedin
- Suzanne LeMere / OCA blog
- Mark Jovan / twitter

Yes, you read that correctly, OCA now has a Twitter account.
http://twitter.com/1connectionAway

OCA e-mail distro vs. OCA LinkedIn group.
Several people have asked recently to be added to the e-mail distro or have connected thru our LinkedIn OCA group. Both have over 70 people, but there's not a 100% correlation. For instance, there are 20+ folks listed in the LinkedIn group that I haven't technically met, most of whom are gainfully employed. So, if anyone is looking to reach a broader audience, make sure you communicate to each group.